Andreas Delfs

Garnering accolades for his electrifying podium presence all over the world, Andreas Delfs served for twelve years until last season as Music Director of Milwaukee Symphony, where he fashioned a model for the next-generation music directors in America. Since 2007, Andreas Delfs has been Principal Conductor of Honolulu Symphony.

Delfs has held chief artistic positions with distinguished institutions such as St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hannover Symphony and Opera, Bern Opera, and at an early age, the celebrated Orchestre Suisse des Jeunes. As a guest conductor, he has led the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, NHK Symphony, Taipei Philharmonic and more. He has collaborated with many of the world’s most renowned artists, including Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Perlman, Pollini, Rostropovich and Renée Fleming.

A highlight in Delfs’ career is his commitment to contemporary music. Since his student days at the Juilliard School, he has established a deep connection with living composers and counts among his inspirations musicians such as John Corigliano and Philip Glass. Delfs has also conducted many outstanding opera productions, including Koenig Hirsch with Württemberg State Theatre in Stuttgart, Carmen with New York City Opera, four productions at Aspen Music Festival, and the Swiss premiere of György Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, which received special praises from the composer.

Delfs’ recordings include Missa Latina with Milwaukee Symphony, Beethoven Piano Concerti with London Symphony and John O’Conor, a collection of sacred songs with Renée Fleming, and Hänsel und Gretel with Milwaukee Symphony. In 2005, Andreas led Milwaukee to became the first American orchestra to distribute live recordings online through iTunes.

Delfs studied at the Hamburg Conservatory and became the youngest ever Music Director of the Hamburg University Orchestra at age 20, before enrolling into the Juilliard School. He now lives with his wife Amy and their four children in Germany.